Knowledge and Attitude of Sudanese Emergency Registrars Towards the Use of Tissue Plasminogen Activator in the Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Background: Recent guidelines report that the administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within 4.5 hours enhances the clinical outcome of ischemic stroke. We assessed the knowledge and attitude of Sudanese emergency medicine registrars towards the use of tissue plasminogen activators in the management of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, hospital-based study. The study was conducted in emergency departments at Khartoum State Hospitals in Sudan during the period from May to July 2021. The study sample was 150 emergency medicine registrars who fulfilled the inclusion criteria of the study. Data was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire as a Google form that was sent to the study participants by email.Results: Knowledge about tPA in the management of AIS at the emergency department was poor, average, and good in 54 (36%), 55 (36.7%), and 41 (27.3%) individuals, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in overall knowledge based on age; nevertheless, good and average knowledge levels were considerably higher among females, level 3 and level 4 of training, and years of experience 5-10 years (p-value = 0.05). The overall attitude of the participants was positive 62 (41.3%), neutral 45 (30%), and negative 43 (28.7%). The positive attitude regarding tPAs for patients with AIS was significantly associated with age 30-40 years, females, levels 3 and 4 of training, and experience 5-10 years (p-value < 0.05). Conclusion:The overall knowledge and attitude of emergency medicine registrars were average to good, with a significant proportion of participants reporting low knowledge. The issues encountered by participants in the use of tPAs were the absence of a stroke team in hospitals, the absence of a protocol for the care pathway of AIS management in hospitals, and the absence of tPAs.